Where to stay: SPAIN

This soothing boutique hotel occupies what was very probably a 15th-century hospital, set around a revamped cordobés courtyard. Historical features – such as the patio’s 15th-century pillars and a Moorish arch in one of the rooms – are integrated into slick, straight-lined contemporary design. Scattered scented candles and flower bowls soften the bold shapes and vibrant original artwork. Rooms combine bright colour schemes with smooth wooden floors and smart white or cream furnishings.

Draped in ivy and vines, the elegant cream-coloured manor house sits on the site of a 1st-century Roman villa, whose remains (including organic-dye murals) you can see beneath the glass floor of the atrium. In classic Córdoba style, an old carriage entry gives way to a succession of delightful courtyards, and pots of hot-pink geraniums hang from balconies. Citrus and avocado trees, swirls of bougainvillea and tinkling fountains fill the peaceful, exquisite back courtyard.

Hidden behind the stone walls of a pair of 18th-century palaces in the old Jewish quarter is the NH Collection Amistad. This design-savvy luxury brand is clever about integrating their hotels into their locations, perhaps nowhere more successfully than here: these Moorish-style inside-out courtyard palaces are perfectly suited to the privacy and tranquility required of high-end hospitality.

- by PRP Arquitectos and design by Fusté Studio Studio. 20-room boutique hotel set in a beautifully renovated Seville mansion with a classic patio and roof terraces.

Next to the Giralda tower and Sevilla's cathedral is EME, a luxury design hotel made out of 14 typical 16th-century houses. The hotel has a number of restaurants and bars, including a seasonal rooftop restaurant offering magnificent views of the cathedral. There is a small spa and a rooftop swimming pool. Rooms vary in size and facilities.

This luxury hotel occupies the top 13 floors of a 37-floor skyscraper, Andalusia's tallest.

Located in the offbeat Heliópolis garden district lined with orange trees, Hotel Holos is a tranquil, small design hotel offering a private garden, terrace and stylish, minimalist rooms with hardwood floors and white walls.

A 12-room gem set in the mid 19th-century Casa Palacio Castelar. A noble stairway is the centerpiece of the hotel and an Andalusian-style courtyard surrounds the lobby, restaurant, and cocktail bar on the ground floor. The rooftop terrace features a plunge pool and lounge area, which transforms to a starlit patio at night.

Set in the heart of Málaga’s charm-packed Old Town, Palacio Solecio is a restored 18th-century palace turned bijou boutique hotel. Expect dramatic up-lighting, well-designed interiors and plenty of original stonework and architectural features with Moorish influence. There’s also an on-site restaurant, where Michelin chef José Carlos Garcia puts his own spin on traditional Andalusian cuisine.

Aptly named, The Town House is more like someone's private home -impeccably decorated with antiques and modern pieces- rather than a hotel. It is located in the orange blossom-filled old quarter of Marbella, along the Costa del Sol's golden mile. The beachfront promenade is a few minutes walk. Surrounding The Town House are numerous restaurants, (tapas) bars and upscale shopping.

Adios, stuffy parador vibe – hello, fully modern, light-filled spaces. All preconceptions of both southern Spanish architecture and parador traditionalism were, it seems, bulldozed with the former building and replaced with spaciousness, grand-scale architecture that favors perspective lines over ornate embellishment.

Now this is a castle. Not just an aristocratic residence, but a proper fortification, whose heavy stone walls contain a remarkably elegant and comfortable luxury boutique hotel. The castle dates back to the eleventh century — and while it’s been owned by a single family since the Fifties, they’re enthusiastic to share their restoration by allowing modern people to experience it for a night (or three).

Located on the beach at El Vedrell midway between Tarragona and Barcelona, Le Méridien RA Beach is a stylish, luxury resort set in a building from the 1920s with an added modern wing. The hotel offers two restaurants, a beach club bar and restaurant and a cocktail bar. In summer, there is also a pool grill. The RA Beach’s extensive spa offers hydrotherapy and sea water treatments, as well as massages, wraps and traditional Swiss spa therapy. There is a plunge pool, hot tub and sun terrace.

Offering views of the Montgrí Massif, Molí del Mig is a small design hotel set in a 15th-century mill and several contemporary, pavilion-style buildings. There is a restaurant serving regional cuisine and a bar. In the extensive garden is an outdoor pool surrounded by a terrace with sun loungers.

A very unusual hotel, Les Cols is a cutting edge design hotel made of all-glass pavillions. It is located next to the famous, 2-star Michelin, Les Cols restaurant. The surroundings are equally unusual, close to the Garrotxa Volcanic Nature Reserve. The five rooms or pavillions have a glass floor, walls and roof and each has a private onsen (Japanese spa bath), a private bathroom and a futon to sleep.

Located in the charming village of Begur, at the heart of the Empordà, one of the most wonderful places in the Costa Brava is the chic and intimate Cluc Hotel. A 2 minute walk brings you to central square, where various bars and restaurants can be found. The building, a colonial mansion from the late 19th century was built by wealthy tobacco plantation holders returning from Cuba.

Located on Ibiza's northern tip at Xarraca Bay, the resort is the first sustainable BREEAM certified hotel in the Balearics. In total there are 116 guest accommodations, villas, suites and beachfront caves across a 20-acre (8-hectare) site. There are four organic restaurants, a Recording Studio and showcase Six Senses Spa. A host of amenities are easily bookable through the app to match every whim. All guests and residents also enjoy personalized service through their own Guest Experience…

This impressive luxury hotel is set in the €530 million restoration of the 1891 Banesto headquarters and several other buildings into a 200-room property. The hotel has two restaurants and a spa with rooftop swimming pool.

A Mallorca institute since the 1950s and is located on a small harbour in Palma of the same name. The iconic white building with its stylish white façade and deep blue shutters is decorated in a mix of Scandinavian and Nautical-Mediterranean styles. The beach is a few minutes' walk, Palma city centre a 15-minute walk (or use one of the hotel's complimentary bikes) and the airport a 10-minute drive.

At this 17th-century monastery in the northern town of Pollença, the emphasis is on ecological values and island-grown talent.

Just outside the Parc Natural de la Península de Llevant, this vast new wellness retreat revolves around a 13th-century dwelling with a zen-like simplicity.

Part of the glorious Fontenille Menorca estate, Torre Vella is a farmhouse hotel with a twist; it's built around an old fortified watchtower, set amid acres of olive groves and medicinal herbs. Rooms and suites occupy the main building as well as outbuildings, including a barn and an old sheepfold, and all are stunningly decorated in a minimalist style with plenty of rustic, organic warmth.

In one of Europe’s most hidden valleys, a community-minded mountain lodge frames natural beauty with a gentle, slowed-down hospitality concept. Inspiration comes from the outside in, with natural materials setting the scene for inviting spaces and objets d’art.

Historic, monumental and majestic — that just about sums up this grand former palace of the Marqués de Caro. The old city walls are retained within the hotel’s very chic and modern design to create an impressive interior of contrasts. Each room is individually styled and tells its own story.

Just 17km from the hustle and bustle of Benidorm and 45km from Alicante is the Valley of Guadalest, a beautiful landscape of countryside, mountains and a lake. Here is VIVOOD Landscape Hotel, a designer hotel consisting of 25 individual, modular rooms.